Monday, March 7, 2011

Back in the day

One of the reasons I am not fond of the late warning (the one where their front wheel is visible by the time it's offered) is because back in the day they would have played hell in trying to pass me. Most of them anyway. For sure some of them would have struggled. Definitely some of the older ones would never have gotten by me.

It also often scares the hell out of me. When you get old body parts start deciding that they've gone as far as they're going to go and a few years back my left ear decided it had heard enough and shut itself off.

So when some tool sneaks up on me and waits till he's close enough to go steady before offering his "you sorry sorry old man, I'm passing your lame ass self on the left!" I have to process that through my right ear which means my brain thinks it's coming from the right which means I have a moment of complete chaos rattling around in my brain before it all settles in and I know what's happening. Couple that with the tinnitus in my deaf ear (there's a constant little joie de vivre going on in there - it's awesome!) and you begin to see the problem.

Anyway, yesterday found me on the CCT again. There's a shortcut where I jump to it for about a mile or so and then off it again. So I'm moving along in no particular hurry but anxious to get off the CCT and I hear this DRRRRING DRRRRING DRRRRING. Then I hear it again and I'm thinking now here's someone who wants you to know they're coming! Well done dude!

Except dude was a wee lad about 11 or 12 years old and he was cookin with gas.

I long ago gave up these unannounced "races" that happen on the trails. I figure they're just damn lucky it's not back in the day, by gawd.

But this wee lad! Dang! My urge was to give the rascal a good what fer. I was all ready to yell out "It's Hammer Time!" when my exit came up. Next time kid.

The problem is next time puts me another day further away from back in the day.